Conventional sheet manufacturing apparatuses use a wet process in which feedstock containing fiber is soaked in water and then defibrated and repulped by primarily mechanical means. Such wet process sheet manufacturing apparatuses require a large amount of water and large-scale equipment. Maintenance of a water treatment facility is also time-consuming, and significant energy is required for a drying process. Dry-process sheet manufacturing apparatuses requiring little water have therefore been proposed to reduce device size and save energy.
For example, PTL 1 describes a paper recycling apparatus that defibrates shredded paper into fibers in a dry defibrator and makes paper. PTL 2 describes an apparatus for manufacturing insulation containing three-dimensional structures of nonwoven cloth containing short fibers.